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Juan Manuel Cerundolo is the first South American to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, the 2021 edition of which starts this week in Milan. Ahead of the start of the tournament, the Argentine talked about how he takes inspiration from former champions Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner.
Both Tsitsipas and Sinner have gone on to establish themselves firmly in the top tier of men's tennis. While Tsitsipas reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros this year, Sinner has won as many as four titles.
Cerundolo, naturally, wants to take a leaf out of their books. The 19-year-old has already shown his potential, with the highlight so far being the Cordoba title earlier this year (where he started as a qualifier). The run also saw Cerundolo become the first player in 17 years to emerge victorious on his ATP debut.
The southpaw has since gone on to claim three ATP Challenger titles, helping him break into the top 100 of the world rankings. At the press conference in Milan on Sunday, Cerundolo expressed his admiration for Tsitsipas and Sinner and claimed that their success is a driving force for the youngsters participating in this year's event.
"It is motivating because you see where they are ranked now and it is what we here are all trying to achieve," Cerundolo said. "But it is just one tournament. It doesn't mean we are going to get there, so we are going to try to keep moving and play every match.
"We will try to get there," he added. "I am really happy to be here. I think it is a really nice experience."
Stefanos Tsitsipas backed up his 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals win with the ATP Finals title the following year
It is no surprise that Stefanos Tsitsipas is a source of inspiration for the young Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Tsitsipas made a fantastic transition from the junior circuit to the pros, winning the Next Gen ATP Finals and the ATP Finals titles in back-to-back years.
In 2018, Tsitsipas didn't lose a single match on his way to the summit clash of the Next Gen ATP Finals. The Greek then had to battle back from a set down against Alex de Minaur, but he finished things in style.
Stefanos Tsitsipas backed up that win with three titles the following year, one of which was the prestigious ATP Finals.
In London, Tsitsipas lost his only match of the tournament to Rafael Nadal, and that too in three tight sets. He and Dominic Thiem then played an enthralling final, with the former grabbing a win in a third-set tie-break.
Tsitsipas has since gone on to crack the top five, winning a total of seven titles along the way.
Jannik Sinner meanwhile won the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals with a stunning display of attacking tennis, and went on to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals the following year. The Italian has gone from strength to strength since then; he almost qualified for the 2021 ATP Finals, and at the time of writing is the first alternate in Turin.
